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Installing Fonts and Keyboard Layouts for Indian Languages

(മലയാളം, संस्कृतम्, हिन्दी,  اردو , తెలుగు,  বাংলা, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ, ગુજરાતી, मराठी, ଓଡ଼ିଆ, অসমীয়া etc.)

Just to read the pages in these languages...

1.Installing Fonts:

Windows 2000/XP:

1. Download the required Unicode fonts (or .zip file containing font) to a temporary location or folder (e.g., the desktop).
2. Open the 'Fonts' folder (Windows 2000: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Fonts; Windows XP: Start > Control Panel > Appearances and Themes > Fonts).
3. Drag or copy the font files (not the .zip file) into Fonts folder.

* Applications (programs) may need to be restarted in order to recognize the font.

Mac OSX:

1. Download the font (or .zip file containing font) to a temporary location (e.g., the desktop).
2. Launch the font file with Font Book.
3. Click on "Install Font."

2. Enabling South Asian Language Support

Windows XP:
1. Navigate to: Start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options
2. Click on "Add Other Languages"
3. In the dialog window, select the "Supplemental Language Support" tab.
4. Check "Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages (including Thai) and click "Ok."

* Windows may require you to insert the original installation CD to complete the installation.

 5. Reboot the computer.


If you also want to type text in these languages, you only need to do the following steps more....:

Activating Keyboard Layouts:

Windows XP:
1. Navigate to: Start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language and Regional Options
2. Click on Add Other Languages"
3. In the dialog window, select the "Supplemental Language Support" tab.
4. Click on "Details" under the "Text Services and Input Languages" header.
5. Under the "Installed Services" menu, select "Add." This will take you to a dialog window which will allow you to add language input services, including assorted keyboard layouts for South Asian languages.

There are many Input methods available for typing text in different languages.

Some use particular keys on your keyboard for particular letters. Some others use a method called transliteration. ( Typing the English letters equivalent to the phonetic sounds of the other language).

Tavultesoft's Keyman is a very popular program catering to many languages of the world.

There are many keymap files available to use with Keyman.

For Malayalam transliteraed keymap, visit Sunny's Malayalam Dictionary Page!

 

 

If you have installed the fonts and configured them properly,

 now you can go for Configuring Browsers for South Asian Fonts!